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19 patterns tagged with this topic.
Loot boxes / gacha
Paid, randomised reward containers whose contents — and often whose odds — are unknown before purchase.
Accidental-purchase / default-to-purchase UI
Purchase is the default or easily mis-tapped path, so spending happens without express, informed consent.
Disguised ads / content
Ads are styled as gameplay or rewards so the player cannot tell promotion from play.
Forced registration / data disclosure
Access to play, rewards, or social features is made conditional on creating an account, linking an identity, or sharing unnecessary personal or contact data.
Parasocial-character pressure
Beloved characters urge purchases or continued play, exploiting parasocial attachment.
Pay-to-keep / ransomed progress
The game threatens to take away progress, items, or assets the player already earned unless they pay or keep playing.
Pay-to-win
Purchasable power converts money into competitive advantage, undermining the implicit contract of skill.
Predatory / forced advertising
Unskippable or rewarded ads — sometimes disguised as content — are bundled into progression.
VIP tiers / cumulative-spend escalation
Privileges, rewards, and status are gated behind cumulative spending thresholds, ratcheting players toward ever-higher outlay.
Daily login / streaks
Escalating rewards and loss-aversion penalties punish missing a day.
Energy / wait timers (appointment mechanics)
Play is gated by real-time cooldowns that can be bypassed for money.
First-charge discount lure
A one-off, heavily discounted first purchase that converts non-payers into payers, then reverts to full price.
FOMO / limited-time offers
Artificial scarcity and urgency pressure players into purchases before a countdown expires.
Pay-for-early-access
Selling early access to content, weapons, or updates so patience becomes a purchasable advantage.
Pay-to-skip / engineered grind
Progression is deliberately slowed so the game can sell time-savers that remove the friction it introduced.
Premium-currency obfuscation
Real money is converted into in-game currency at non-round ratios that break the player's price intuition.
Social obligation / guilt
The design leverages teammates' dependence to compel continued play or spending.
Subscription / battle-pass traps
Easy entry and obstructed cancellation, with 'earned' value that expires if you stop paying or playing.
Gifting / invitation spam (social pyramid)
Progress is tied to recruiting or pestering friends.